Forest of Numbers

Forest of Numbers offers a broad European overview of how forests and wood markets were measured and understood between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bringing together case studies from across the continent, the volume examines the production and use of quantitative knowledge on forests, treating statistics not only as historical sources but also as historiographical objects shaped by administrative practices, economic interests, and scientific cultures. The chapters explore how data on forest cover, timber production, consumption, and international trade were collected, structured, and mobilised by states, experts, and economic actors during the age of industrialisation. By critically reassessing the main quantitative sources available and presenting a wide range of methodological approaches used to generate new estimates, the book advances historiographical debates and offers fresh perspectives on the role of numbers in shaping Europe’s forest landscapes, governance practices, and commodity markets.